Mara Nelms and the Mystery of Love
by RaunchyRavenclaw
Summary: Mara is a Gryffindor. Sirius is a Gryffindor, too. Cool! Right? ...nah.
1. IAACWNLAYAY

**IAACWNLAYAY - I Am A Cat With Nine Lives And You Are Yarn**

The first time she saw Sirius Black, Mara was eleven.

As a proper eleven-year-old, she liked to play games. She had spent all afternoon on the Hogwarts Express thoroughly pondering her Sorting experience; now, she was ready to put all the information she had gathered on the different Houses to the test.

It was time for the Sorting.

She followed Professor McGonagall through the Great Hall in a cluster of eleven-year-olds, and at the end of the hall, the professor pointed a bony finger to a great, old hat and explained to them the procedure. Mara was anxious, but an excited tingle ran through her body. Absentmindedly, she put together a game in her head as soon as "Anders, Alfred" stepped up to the stool.

_Hufflepuff_, Mara thought, scrutinizing the boy as the hat was placed on his head.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

_Five points_, Mara crowed triumphantly.

"Apres, Marnie!"

_Ravenclaw_.

"RAVENCLAW!"

_Five plus five equals ten._

On it went. Mara was on quite the winning streak by the time "Black, Sirius" was called. He seated himself on the stool, and Mara eyed him carefully. The old, tattered hat touched his head, and she hesitated for only a moment before she decided. _Slytherin_. The hat, however, gave pause for a little while longer, before: "GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table exploded in applause as they welcomed the newcomer to their table. Mara, however, stared after him incredulously. He would be her first strike in her game, and as the sort of eleven-year-old who didn't like to lose, she wasn't happy about it.

She studied him as he took he sat down. The new Gryffindor had dark, messy hair and cool, grey eyes, but there was an air to the way he walked. The type of person she would definitely peg for a Slytherin anyday. Mara frowned. How did he get put into Gryffindor?

There was something off about him-something about Sirius Black that didn't sit well with her. Yes, she knew that from Day One. She just didn't know what yet.

**Author's Note:** So, at 337 words, this is definitely not a drabble. It's a...something. I'll be writing a series of these somethings, random ideas here and there, for my good friend Mara. Hey, maybe no one will enjoy these except for her because it's a lot of winks and elbow nudges from here on out, but who knows?

These will all be written in the same universe as the oneshot I have planned for her, which I promised to write back in the summer of 2011. It's now the spring of 2012, and things are not looking so hot. So! Compensation: this. Enjoy, Mara! And any others who might be reading this.


	2. QFDIDGAD

**QFDIDGAD - Quite Frankly, Dear, I Don't Give A Damn**

"Hey, watch this."

Snickers erupted from behind Mara's head as she sat in Charms class, trying to learn her very first spell.

"_Wingardium Leviosa_."

A crick appeared in Mara's forehead, and she was tempted to throw a nasty glare at the pair behind her.

"Oh, lookit go! It's working..." More riotous laughter ensued, unbeknownst to Professor Flitwick, who was helping a student on the opposite side of the room.

Beside Mara, the black-haired girl let out a small, confused whimper as the quill she had been using rose out of her fingers for the umpteenth time. She struggled to capture her writing utensil again, but it slipped out of grasp whenever her fingertips got too close. Finally, the quill dove toward her hand-and then past it-and slammed ink all over her crisp, white shirt. "_Mrangh!_" The girl let out a distressed cry as she swabbed at the ink stain on her chest with her hands, but only seemed to make it worse.

Mara watched her for a moment more. "Don't worry too much over it. It'll come out just fine with some bleach and a washing machine."

The girl turned to her, wide-eyed, as if she was taken aback that she was being spoken to. "Oh-uh, thanks. I mean, yeah. Don't worry about it, it happens to me all the time. I guess I'm really clumsy or something-but I think there's something wrong with this quill. It keeps-" While she spoke, the quill began to wriggle out of her fingers.

Mara caught the movement immediately, and she snatched the quill out of the girl's hand without a second thought.

"What-" For a second, the girl looked scared and startled, but then she looked hurt.

"Hold on." Mara didn't care that she looked rude just now; first things first. She spun around and delivered a venomous look to the prats behind her. "_Stop it_," she snarled. "It's not funny, no one finds it funny, and you're being _rude_."

For a second, the boys stopped to glance at each other, but then, one of them spoke. "Aw, nah, it's alright. Right, Potter? The ink'll come out with some _bleach_."

"Right, pal, and maybe a _washing machine_." The pair bust out laughing once more.

It was then that Mara was faintly aware of the fact that both of the items she had listed were very Muggle applications. But coming from an all-Muggle family, she found her suggestion natural and didn't care to be made fun of for it. "Alright, you buggers, laugh all you want. But mark my words-" She gathered her robes and drew herself up to the tallest height she could make herself-"_watch your back_." She stared at them, not breaking to blink.

"Oh?" The first boy who had spoken drew himself up now, and he leaned in to meet her posture. His light-colored eyes burned into her with a challenge. "Whatcha gonna do about it, Goldilocks?"

"I guess you'll just have to wait and found out," Mara retorted, "aren't you?"

"Haa." Slowly, the boy retracted himself and plopped back down into his seat. "We'll see what a _girl_ can do." He opened his arms out as if to say, _Go for it_. Next to him, the Potter boy slapped him a high-five.

Mara returned to her seat, the hairs on her neck still bristling. The girl beside her stared at her, dumbfounded. "I'm sorry-I thought-I didn't know-"

"It's fine. Do you need something to mop that up?" Mara gestured to the swelling stain on the girl's shirt.

"No, it's okay. I'll just let it...dry." The girl waved her hand dismissively. "Um...my name's Megan. Megan Miller. What's yours?"

"I'm Mara. Mara Nelms." Mara smiled at her, pocketing a bottle of ink.

"Nice to meet you. Do you think you could help me out with this Charm? Because I just don't think I'm getting it. I was trying to scratch out some notes for myself earlier..."

Mara and Megan pored over the mechanics of the spell for the rest of the period, but in the end, neither of them were able to completely grasp the Levitation Charm. Still, at least they had a good time poking fun at the spell. And the prats behind them didn't bother them again, but she did get the feeling they were busy harassing other people from their undying sniggers.

As the students filed out of the classroom for their next class, Mara flattened herself against the wall next to the doorway.

"-great class, eh, mate?" A familiar, cocky voice grew closer.

"I'll say. See ya around, Black!" Potter slapped another high-five with his buddy before turning off in the opposite direction.

The other boy-"Sirius Black", she learned over the course of the class-started to walk past Mara, oblivious to the fact that she was standing there.

Until her arm lunged out and grabbed a fistful of his hair.

"Ruddy-hell!" He cried out, his hands flying up to his head.

"Listen up, and listen good, _pretty boy_," Mara growled, digging her fingernails into his head. "I may not have a magical upbringing, and sure, I don't know all your fancy spells, but you know what I do have? I have a _Muggle_ upbringing." She paused, and when all he did was glare at her, she pulled him closer. "Wrong answer. That should _terrify_ you." She drew something from the sleeve of her robes.

"What do you think you're doing-? HOLY SH-!"

Mara uncapped the bottle of ink and poured it down his shirt. Under his violent flailing, she released her hold on his hair and stepped back. "And that's what my _Muggle_ older brother taught me." She stashed the empty bottle back into her robes and dusted her hands, satisfied.

Then she stalked off.

Sirius Black learned never to underestimate a witch that day, all-Muggle family or not.


	3. CHARLI

**CHARLI - Consequences Help Against Repeating Lapse Identities**

Mara was frenziedly pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace back in the Gryffindor Common Room after breakfast when Megan found her.

"Mara?" Megan said slowly, stopping in her tracks. "What's wrong?"

Mara's head snapped up, startled. "Oh, Megan! It's just you." She sauntered around a few more times, trying to consider how to answer the question. "It'sCharlieIdon'tknowwhereheisandIthinkhe'smissing," she blurted out at last.

"Whoa. Calm down there." Megan blinked. "I'm sorry. Um, I don't mean to make you repeat it-but could you maybe possibly say that slower? I didn't catch it the first time..."

"It's Charlie! I don't know where he is and I think he's missing," Mara wailed, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Charlie? I-I don't understand. Who's Charlie?"

"My _cat_!" exclaimed Mara, looking more upset than ever.

"O-oh. Well, maybe he just went off for a bit to stretch his legs...?" Megan suggested.

Mara collapsed onto one of the couches. "I thought so, too! That's why I didn't think anything of it when I didn't see him this morning-even though he usually sleeps at the foot of my bed. But he _loves_ food, and he knows I always give him my breakfast scraps when I come back here-but I can't find him _anywhere_!"

Megan frowned. "How long have you had him?"

"Not very. I just got him at the beginning of the month when we were shopping for school supplies in Diagon Alley." Mara sniffled, her nose bright pink. "Why?"

"Well, older cats know their owners and always come back, so..." Megan trailed off, quickly realizing she wasn't helping. Mara didn't say a word, but her lower lip trembled and her eyes turned rounder.

"GET OFF! Off me, I said! _OFF!_" A voice hollered from the portrait hole as the painting swung open.

Mara blinked several times in succession and quickly rubbed her face, conscious of someone besides her friend catching her in a vulnerable state.

Into the Gryffindor Common Room marched none other than Sirius Black.

"Oh, great," mumbled Megan unhappily, knowing that his presence would only make Mara's mood worse-

"OH MY GOD, IT'S YOU!" Mara squealed, jumping to her feet.

"What?" Megan squeaked in disbelief.

"What?" Sirius's head snapped up to look at them, startled.

Mara rushed over to Sirius, and it was then that Megan noticed a huge lump of..._something_ curled around the boy's feet. Mara immediately scooped the lump into her arms, tears running down her cheeks again as she cooed incohesively to it.

"It's Charlie!" she announced happily, nuzzling the thing in her arms. At that moment, the thing turned its head, and Megan was able to make out a black face among the mass of fur.

"Charlie?" Megan repeated, aghast. "You didn't tell me he was a Kneazle!"

Mara stopped nuzzling long enough to stare at her curiously. "A what?"

"A Kn-well, Kneazles look like cats, but they aren't really-you must've gotten-no, actually, that looks like a half-Kneazle. The other half is probably a Siamese cat," Megan mused to herself.

"That monstrous thing is yours?" Sirius interrupted dryly. Mara glanced back at him, seeming to only remember again that he was there.

Megan began to shrink away, but Mara took a step toward him, her brow creasing deeply. "What. Did you do. _To Charlie_," she demanded.

"_Me_? To _that thing_?" Sirius cried incredulously. "Oh, Merlin's beard, you've _got_ to be joking."

"Wait, what?"

"That thing _lounged_ into my room last night, and I woke up with it _on my face_. When I could _breathe_ again, it followed me downstairs to breakfast and _took my food_. When I tried to kick it away, it _clung to my leg_ and wouldn't let go!"

"You tried to kick Charlie?" shrieked Mara, horrified. "Why would you do that?"

"Were you not listening to a word I said?" Sirius snapped, his face turning blue. "Besides, I don't like cats. They're so irritable."

"Oh, and I suppose you like dogs better." Mara rolled her eyes, cradling the ball of fur closer to her face.

"I do."

"Called it," she muttered.

"From now on, _keep that horrid thing away from me_," Sirius snarled, his finger pointing at them accusingly.

"Oh, whoops." Mara loosened her arms around Charlie, and he wriggled onto the floor. "I seem to have dropped him."

Immediately, Charlie slunk over to Sirius and began to purr, burrowing his head against Sirius's leg. Sirius flinched and bent down, struggling to pry the creature off of him.

Mara frowned. "You know, for a _dog_ person, he really seems to like you."

"That's _another_ thing you've got wrong there, Princess."

"What?"

Sirius looked over at her, annoyed. "Your Kneazle isn't a 'he', you git."

"_What?_"

"It's a she, I checked."

"But I thought-"

"Did you not even think to check her before you named her?"

"No, but I-"

Having finally successfully peeled the animal off his leg, he deposited the Kneazle into Mara's arms. "If you sic her on me again, I'll kick her for real this time."

With that, he turned and marched upstairs to the boys dormitory.

Mara stared at the bundle in her arms, dumbfounded. Megan meekly cleared her throat, having found the courage to speak up now that Sirius was gone. "Well...at least you've got her back?"

After that incident, "Charlie"'s name was revised to "Charli", which worked just as well.


End file.
